1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to personal article carrier devices. The carrier of the invention provides, e.g., a strap loop adapted to be worn as a sash with pouches in front for easy access and visibility by the user.
2. Description of Related Art
A wide range of carriers of personal articles exist which include a pouch with a strap. Common examples include hand bags, clutches, carry on bags, back packs, fanny packs, and side packs. Yet, none of the available carriers offers hands free convenient access to articles in a carrier that conforms neatly to the front of the wearer""s body.
Hand bags are essentially a pouch with a strap. The user carries the hand bag with the strap in one hand. This is inconvenient for the user as the hand can tire and the hand holding the bag is not available for other functions, The bag is set down to open it and gain access. Once the owner sets the hand bag down, it might be left behind and lost.
Purses are large hand bags with a longer strap that can be placed over the shoulder. This frees up the hands to do other things and to search for articles in the purse. The purse is a weight on a loop of string and naturally stabilizes in a pendulum fashion, low at the side of the user, even if the strap is run over the head and diagonally across the chest. The purse can not be worn under clothing such as jackets. A purse can be lifted up front, and held by one hand, while it is searched and articles removed. Purses can be ripped from the shoulder of the owner and stolen by a xe2x80x9cpurse snatcherxe2x80x9d.
Back packs are designed with two shoulder straps to carry heavy loads high on the back. This carrier configuration suffers from poor access to articles. The back pack user must remove both straps and set the bag on a surface in order to search the contents.
Belt packs and xe2x80x9cfanny packsxe2x80x9d are worn low around the waist. The belt packs are an improvement over other personal carriers because they place the load on the hip skeletal structure so there is little fatigue and they can be worn up front for hands free viewing and removal of articles. Still, are less than elegant and too bulky to wear under a jacket.
All of these carrier inventions require straps systems, or depend on the weight of the pouch and articles, or a clumsy arrangement of straps, to hold the pouch in a stable orientation. Purses, for example, naturally dangle on the strap with the pouch section hanging at the lowest point. Single strap packs hang low in the back of the user. Such carriers tend to swing uncontrollably if the user experiences dynamic movements, such as occur during running. Many single strap carriers employ an accessory waist strap or belt to prevent such swinging.
For example, side packs are available that include a large pouch that hangs from a strap, or on a belt clip, low at the side of user. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,769, xe2x80x9cSide Packxe2x80x9d to Seals, a pouch dangles from a shoulder down to the waist area on the same side. A brace arrangement can be provided from the other shoulder to stabilize the pouch. Alternately the pouch can be mounted to the wearer""s belt with a clip. The side pack pouch is complex and bulky. The pouch is low and to the side where the user must twist the body and reach unnaturally to remove a personal article.
A need remains for a personal article carrier device that provides comfortable hands-free carrying of personal affects up front in the chest area. It is desirable to have a sleek carrier that does not require accessory straps to prevent swinging while the user is walking. The present invention solves these problems, as will be made evident in the disclosure that follows.
The strap pack personal articles carrier of the invention is, e.g., a slim strap forming a loop of material that fits the contours of a wearer, from one shoulder to the opposite hip, to provide a comfortable stable platform for pouches. The pouches can be, e.g., located along the front of the strap so that personal articles are readily accessible and visible to the wearer. The stable configuration of the strap on the wearer""s body can support the weight of the articles without the pouches swinging or slipping down. The strap can be further stabilized, for support of a large cumulative weight of articles, e.g., by providing counter weights mounted to the strap.
The strap pack carrier of the invention includes a strap forming a loop with a front section and a back section. The loop front section can have one or more pouches. The carrier can be worn by a person as a sash with the front section of the strap oriented forward so that pouches are visible and accessible with a natural motion of the arms and hands. One or more of the pouches can be, e.g., mounted at locations high on the front section of the strap on at the chest or abdomen of the person wearing the strap pack carrier.
The strap pack carrier can have counter weights mounted, e.g., at locations on the strap suitable to stabilize the carrier as being used and worn by a person. For example, when the carrier is worn with more than about 0.25 pounds of personal articles in pouches in the front section of the strap, a counter weight of about 0.25 pounds can be mounted in the loop back section of the strap. The counter weights can be mounted by locating them, e.g., within pouches in the front or back section of the strap, as appropriate. The counter weights can be mounted to the strap by, e.g., running the strap through one or more perforations in the weight. Typically, the counter weights of the invention can weigh from about 0.2 pounds to about 1 pound, or about 0.5 pounds. Counter weights of the invention can be fabricated, e.g., from compact materials of high density, such as iron, steel, lead, zinc, copper, gold, silver, tin and/or the like.
The strap pack carrier of the invention has an angle of intersection between the lower front section and back section that can be, e.g., from about 40 degrees to about 100 degrees. This lower intersection angle can be measured with the front section and back section laid out flat on a surface. The angle can be measured from the continuation of the tangential lines from the edges of the sections even if the actual lower intersection has a rounded profile. In one embodiment, the strap pack carrier of the invention can have a lower angle of intersection between about 60 degrees and about 80 degrees as measured with the sections laid out flat. The strap pack carrier of the invention can favorably have a lower angle of intersection of about 70 degrees as measured with the sections laid out flat.
The strap pack carrier invention can have a strap length adjustment mechanism, e.g., in or between the loop sections to enable the wearer to change the size of the strap pack. This can allow the strap pack to comfortably and functionally be worn by persons of various sizes.
The strap pack carrier can be fabricated, e.g., from material about 5 inches wide, or less, as measured across a strap section, to provide pouches for wide personal articles, such as palm computers or wallets. The strap packs can be made, e.g., about 3 inches wide, or less, to snuggly carry narrower articles. Pouches can be adapted to carry a variety of personal articles such as, wallets, credit cards, business cards, cell phones, pocket computers, pens, belt clips, pagers, portable radios, CD players, eyeglasses, and the like. The pouches can have closure flaps and/or be removable from the strap. The pouches of the invention can also be located, e.g., on the back section of the strap. The pouches of the invention can also be located, e.g., on the lower intersection of the loop front section and loop back section.
The strap pack carrier can have the strap and/or pouches fabricated from, e.g., nylon, leather, Mylar(copyright), canvas, plastic, Velcro(copyright) (e.g., fabric sided with resilient hooks that cling to fabric sided with loops) neoprene, wool, and the like.
The strap pack can be stabilized against swinging, slippage and rotation by, e.g., the way the contours of the strap fit the contours of the wearer""s body. Frictional material, such as rubber, can be affixed, e.g., to the inner upper intersection or the inner lower intersection of the loop to help prevent shifting, rotation or slippage of the strap pack on the wearer (person wearing the carrier). An attachment means can be fixed to the loop to attach the strap to a garment worn under the strap pack to help prevent the strap from slipping. A rigid or semi-rigid curved cladding can be formed into the inner upper intersection to fix over the shoulder or the inner lower intersection of the loop to fit over the hip of the wearer to help hold the strap in place. Padding material can be affixed to an inner upper intersection or an inner lower intersection of the strap to increase the comfort of the wearer.
A wire mounting means can be included to route wires between the pouches and the wearer""s head. This provides a neat appearance and prevents entanglement of the wires while the wearer moves about.